Eternal Promise: (The Cursed Series, Book 5)

by Kara Leigh Miller

  Groaning, Trent draped his arm over his face. “I totally get it now,” he said.

  “Get what?”

  “When you said you missed me. Us.” He turned his head to look at me. “You were right earlier. Want to get out of here?”

  “And go where?” I asked with a laugh.

  “Some place where it’s just you and me, and we can be together without interruption,” he said. “Maybe get a room at the Inn for the night.”

  I smiled. “Sure.”

  “Good.” He kissed my forehead, then flung the blankets off.

  We were both fully dressed, and it didn’t take us long to pack an overnight bag. Minutes later, we were pulling in to the Ausable Inn, and moments after that, we had a room. Thank God it wasn’t tourist season, which meant the Inn wasn’t full, but it was quiet.

  Trent dropped our bag on the floor just inside the door, then engaged the lock. “This is so much better,” he said.

  “I’m going to take a quick shower,” I said, grabbing the bag and heading for the bathroom before he distracted me.

  Keeping the door open a crack so the steam from the shower wouldn’t turn the small bathroom into a sauna, I stripped out of my clothes and slipped on one of the complimentary robes before digging around in the bag for the razor I’d packed.

  The brand new, very sharp blade slid easily across my fingertip. “Ouch.” I jerked my hand back and stuck my finger into my mouth.

  The bag toppled to the floor, spilling our clothes and toiletries and, of course, the stupid razor. I glared at all the stuff.

  “Chloe?” Trent knocked on the door, causing it to swing open wider. “Everything okay in here?”

  “Yeah.” I plucked my finger from my mouth. “I cut myself on the razor.” I frowned.

  There probably weren’t any band-aids anywhere in this bathroom, either. Fresh blood oozed from the cut and dripped into the sink.

  “Let me see,” he said reaching for my hand.

  Instinctively, I moved away from him. After what happened earlier when Trent bit me and drank a little too much, the last thing he—or I—needed was for the scent of my blood to send him over the edge.

  “No, it’s okay,” I said. “I’m fine.”

  “So am I,” he said with a sigh, clearly still upset with himself for what had happened. “Sorry to have barged in.” He turned to leave.

  “Trent. Wait,” I said, grabbing his arm. “I just don’t want to make this harder on you.”

  His expression softened. “We still have a while before I change you. I don’t want this to be an issue for us.” He nodded toward the sink where several more droplets of blood had splattered.

  “Me either,” I whispered.

  Heart in my throat, I held my hand out to him. I knew he’d never hurt me, and he hadn’t exactly hurt me earlier, though he did scare me a little. If he ever did anything to me, it wouldn’t be intentional, and I took comfort in the knowledge that our lives were linked—if nothing else, his own self-preservation would stop him before he accidentally killed me.

  “Are you sure?” he asked.

  I nodded.

  Trent cradled my hand in his and brought my finger to his lips. His lashes fluttered, and his eyes closed. A satisfied “hmm” rumbled from him as he closed his mouth around my finger.

  I swallowed hard as tiny sparks of ecstasy snapped across my skin, traveling from my hand, up my arm, and spreading across my chest. My face heated, and I fought to draw in a deep breath. I took a step closer, suddenly very desperate to feel him next to me.

  He released my finger from his mouth, yanked me closer, and then slanted his lips over mine. But I’d barely registered his kiss before he moved to stand behind me, dragging my hair away from my neck as he did.

  I stood frozen, waiting to see what he’d do. My heart thrashed in my chest, and there was nothing I could do to calm the violent, erratic thumping.

  His fingers grazed the bite mark, and I bit down on my lip, whimpering at the sensations ricocheting through me. He draped my hair over my shoulder and gently tugged the arm of the robe down my shoulder, which he then proceeded to pepper with hot, hungry kisses.

  I leaned back against him, and he slid one arm around my stomach, holding me tightly to his body.

  “I made you a promise,” he whispered, his breath warm and inviting on my skin as his kisses moved up the column of my neck. “And I don’t ever want to break a promise to you.”

  He was talking about biting me for pleasure—he had to be, because there wasn’t any other promise he’d made me that he hadn’t already fulfilled.

  “You don’t have to,” I said.

  But even as the words left my mouth, they were weak. Despite everything, I still really wanted Trent to bite me again, because when I thought about it, I thought about the time he claimed me, not whatever he’d done today. That wasn’t really him, and I knew that.

  “Maybe I want to,” he said, his voice husky.

  “Do you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then do it,” I said, capturing his gaze in the bathroom mirror.

  His eyes darkened several shades, not quite black but almost. “What I did earlier… that wasn’t for pleasure. That was… too hard and raw.” He averted his gaze and resumed teasing my neck with tiny kisses.

  His lips grazed the mark, and my knees weakened. Lust whipped through me, heating me from the inside out. Trent’s arm tightened around my midsection. A low, sexy growl rumbled from deep within his chest.

  “If you still want to know what it feels like to have me bite you for pleasure, just say—”

  “Yes,” I said before either of us changed our minds.

  My gaze was glued to the mirror, to his reflection. Using his free hand, he tilted my head and then threaded his fingers through my hair. His face twisted, and his fangs protruded. I watched him with equal parts fear and awe.

  The second his fangs pierced my skin, though, I let out a small cry, and my eyes closed of their own volition. This was nothing at all like earlier. This was softer, more loving. There was nothing terrifying about this at all.

  Waves of pure, uninhibited passion and lust crashed over me. Intense, almost debilitating desire twisted through my veins, consuming me, dragging me toward the precipice of a chasm so full of want and need that should I plunge over the edge, I’d never recover. And I wasn’t sure I wanted to.

  After what felt like mere seconds, Trent released my neck. Behind me, his chest heaved with his ragged breaths, each exhale pushing against my back in an erotic rhythm. My eyes fluttered open, my gaze drawn to Trent’s in the mirror. His expression was heated, his gaze ravenous. And now my breaths were ragged, too.

  Slowly, he spun me around to face him, and I wrapped my arms around his neck at the same time he crushed his lips over mine. His kiss was greedy and demanding, and I willingly gave him everything I had, everything he wanted.

  Trent lifted me and set me on top of the sink, and I hooked my legs around his waist. With one expert flick of his hand, he had my robe untied, leaving me fully exposed. I didn’t hesitate to give myself to him.

  I ABSENTLY DREW LAZY circles on Trent’s bare chest, perfectly content to just lay here with him for the rest of the night. I never expected him to bite me again, but I was glad he did. The entire experience had been euphoric, and a million times better than I could have ever imagined.

  Now, all we had left to do was get married, and everything on my human bucket list would be crossed off, exactly like Trent had promised.

  I desperately wanted to add “have a baby” to my list, but I still had no idea if we were actually going to do that. Neither of us had brought it up since the last time.

  Admittedly, I was afraid to broach the topic again because I wasn’t sure I could handle hearing Trent say with any level of certainty that he didn’t want to have a baby. His reasons for not wanting to were valid and impossible to argue, but they didn’t change how I felt about the situation.

  Maybe Is
ach was right about me. Maybe I was so obsessed with having a baby that I was willing to risk everything and everyone I loved. Was it time to let this dream go?

  “You’re deep in thought,” Trent said. “What’s on your mind?”

  I sighed. No use in prolonging this. I flattened my palm against his stomach.

  “I keep thinking about something Isach said to me. About how having your baby is the most important thing to me, and how I’ll risk anything and anyone to get what I want,” I said, fighting to keep my voice steady. “Maybe he’s right.”

  “He’s not,” Trent said forcefully. “He was angry and scared when he said that to you. I’m sure he didn’t mean it.”

  Oh, he meant it all right. But I didn’t say that to Trent. In the grand scheme of things, it didn’t really matter if Isach meant what he said—he’d said it, and that was enough to make me question everything.

  “I also keep thinking about everything you said, too, about why having a baby isn’t a good idea, and you’re right. It’s way too dangerous, and there are way too many things we’d have to work out. But…” I took a deep breath. “None of that changes how I feel about this. I want to have a baby, and I know that’s stupid and makes me incredibly selfish and—”

  “Hey, stop,” Trent said softly. He nudged my chin, and I shifted so I could see his face. “Not many girls your age know what they want from life, but you do, and you’re fighting hard for what you want. That doesn’t make you selfish. That makes you incredibly strong and determined.”

  I swallowed against the threat of tears.

  “And that’s just one of so many reasons why I love you so much,” he said. “I know this is complicated, but we will figure it out. I promise.”

  I scooted up until my lips reached his, and I kissed him deeply. “Thank you,” I whispered. “You always know how to make me feel better.”

  He smiled. “And that’s just one of so many reasons why I’m going to be the best husband in the world.”

  I laughed and snuggled up to him, once again resting my head on his chest. He wrapped his arm around me, the gesture making me feel safer than ever.

  “Get some sleep,” he said, placing a tender kiss on my forehead.

  I closed my eyes, intending to stay awake and savor every moment with Trent. But sometime later, I yawned and attempted to stretch, but Trent’s body was curled around mine, and I didn’t want to wake him, so I settled for snuggling a little closer.

  I was on my side, and he was behind me. His arm was draped over my waist, and his face was nuzzled against my neck.

  Sunlight filtered in around the drapes, and I groaned. Was it seriously morning already? I mentally chastised myself for falling asleep. I’d wanted to stay awake longer, to spend as much time with Trent as I could because who knew when we’d get another chance to be alone like this.

  “There’s my beautiful fiancée,” Trent said, his voice low at my ear.

  I couldn’t stop the smile that formed. “I thought you were sleeping.”

  “Mmm. No,” he said. “I’ve actually been awake all night.”

  “You have?” I asked, shocked. “Why?” I twisted so I was on my back and could see his face.

  He was as handsome as ever, and it hit me just how unfair it was that he could pull an all-nighter and still look like he’d just walked off the page of a high-end fashion magazine. Last time I’d stayed up all night, I woke up looking like a zombie who’d been microwaved a few minutes too long.

  “I was waiting for you to wake up,” he said, tugging me closer and planting a kiss on my cheek.

  “Uh, okay,” I said. “So, that meant you couldn’t sleep?”

  “Chloe, honey.” His voice was melodic, and the mere sound of it had my heart fluttering wildly.

  “Yeah?”

  He cupped the side of my cheek and turned my face toward him. I rolled onto my side so I could get closer. His eyes sparkled in that way I loved.

  “I have a very important question to ask you, and you have to answer it, okay? No answering with a question of your own,” he said.

  “Okay,” I said, confusion and unease battling for dominance in my mind.

  “Will you have my baby?” he asked.

  I laughed with surprise, but there wasn’t a trace of humor in Trent’s expression. He was dead serious. My laughter faded, and my eyes widened. Oh, my God. He was seriously asking me to have his baby. He wanted to go through with our plans!

  “Yes,” I said, my throat clogged with emotion. “Yes, of course I’ll have your baby.”

  He graced me with a breathtaking smile, and excitement swelled inside of me. I was seconds away from erupting with sheer joy.

  “What changed your mind? I mean… last time we talked about this, you said…” I had to stop to collect my thoughts.

  “I know what I said.” He brushed strands of hair from my forehead and trailed his fingers down the side of my face. “But I’ve been thinking about this literally all night.” He laughed.

  “And?”

  “We both want to be parents, and this is our only shot. I’d feel much better about this if we could get pregnant after the Zoya are dealt with, but we can’t deal with them until after you change and—”

  “And once I change, I can’t get pregnant,” I said.

  “Exactly. We really don’t have a choice. We do it now, or we don’t do it at all,” he said.

  I chewed on the inside of my cheek, letting Trent’s words settle. He was right—it was now or never. This was something we both desperately wanted, but wanting something didn’t necessarily mean we should have it.

  “What about everything else, though? How will we protect our child? Two vampires raising a human child? No stability?” I asked.

  “I will die protecting you and our child,” he said vehemently. “No one will harm either of you.”

  I sighed with frustration. “I know that, but losing you sort of defeats the purpose of everything else.”

  He smiled faintly. “I know, which is why we’ll ask Isach and maybe even Ivy to use whatever magic they have to protect our child. I know there are protection spells they can do.”

  I nodded. “Okay, but that doesn’t solve all the other problems.”

  “No, but I’ve been thinking about that, too.” He grinned mischievously.

  Something in his expression gave me pause. I remained silent.

  “We don’t need to live in the same town or house our entire lives to be home or be a family. You want to travel, right? So, let’s do that. We’ll homeschool our child, give them a real-world education.” Trent’s voice rose with each word, his excitement building. “Instead of teaching history or geography in a classroom from a book, we’ll take our child to see all the historic places and museums. We’ll show him or her the world.”

  “Oh, my God,” I whispered, my heart filling with love and happiness and disbelief.

  “And I think we should be honest with our child right from the start,” he said, his tone turning serious. “No hiding who we are. We just be ourselves, and we teach him or her about us, about the importance of discretion to keep our secret. For our child, this life will be normal, and when they’re older, they can decide what life they want.”

  My jaw dropped.

  “Our child will have plenty of family. Us. My dad. Jax. Colt. Abby and Isach. Whitney. Wyatt. And we’ll meet a lot of people in our travels. He or she will make friends. It’s not a traditionally normal life, but it will be full of love,” he said, his gaze penetrating.

  “Wow,” I mumbled, completely overwhelmed by everything he’d just said.

  He really had spent all night thinking about this, hadn’t he? He’d promised we’d figure this out, and that’s exactly what he’d done. Tears pooled in the corners of my eyes and spilled down my face.

  Trent wiped my tears, his hands lingering on my cheeks. “Now that I’ve said all that, I’ll ask again. Will you have my baby?”

  I laughed despite my tears. “We’re re
ally doing this, aren’t we?”

  “We’re really doing this,” he said with a smile.

  And with those four words, Trent had given me everything I’d ever wanted. I didn’t deserve him, but I was going to spend eternity proving that I did.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN:

  Truth Test

  TRENT AND I RELUCTANTLY DRAGGED OURSELVES out of the Inn. As badly as I wanted to stay there, wrapped up in our own little world, we couldn’t.

  Today was the day Abby had to meet Rector and take his stupid truth test. The closer we got to home, the larger the knot in my stomach became. I really wished Abby wasn’t doing this, though I understood why she was.

  Trent pulled into the driveway and killed the engine. I unhooked my seat belt and reached for the door handle, eager to get this over with as soon as possible, but he stopped me by gripping my arm.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  “Nothing.” He tugged me across the seat so I was next to him. “I just want another minute with you.”

  Sweeping his hands along either side of my neck, he brought his mouth to mine, his tongue gliding across my bottom lip, begging for entry. I welcomed his kiss, and as soon as I did, I was slammed with a myriad of emotions.

  An enormous amount of joy for the fact I’d agreed to have his baby. Impatience for having to wait until after we were married, but determination to do this right, to conceive a child with me. His soon-to-be wife.

  Longing to be back in our room at the Inn, just the two of us, wrapped up in each other. A craving for my blood so intense it made me want to drink from myself. Fear and uncertainty for what he was about to do. Wishing there was another way.

  I pushed him away with a gasp and licked my lips. As cool as it was to get a front row seat to his emotions like that, it always left me dazed and slightly drained.

  “Sorry,” he said with a small frown.

  “It’s going to be okay, Trent. Everything’s going to work out,” I said, unsure which of us I was trying to convince.

  He nodded. “C’mon, let’s get this over with.”

  We climbed out of the truck, and Trent took my hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. When we walked inside, Isach was on the couch, head in his hands, and Abby was pacing in front of the window.